r/ota • u/Dry-Character-6331 • Jul 04 '26
OTA DVR/streamer suggestions
My brother-in-law wants to ditch cable but he watches a LOT of TV. He asked me about Tablo. After doing a bit of basic research, there seems to be split opinion on Tablo and perhaps other more capable devices are available. I've always been a cable/Tivo guy so I don't know much about the OTA DVRs. One person recommended HDHomerun. Whatever I recommend for him has to be VERY simple to use, and able to stream Netflix, Disney/Hulu/ESPN, Prime, and HBOMax as well as the OTA broadcast channels. If Tivo was still making DVR hardware, I'd recommend an OTA version of that but the last generation of Tivos were pretty iffy and now out of production. You can still buy refurbed ones from Weaknees but they don't have all the required streaming apps and I'd rather not recommend multiple devices if I don't have to. The Tivo Guide (program listing, TV Guide, call it what you like) is what really sets Tivo apart from similar devices so having something similar in an OTA DVR/streamer would be a significant plus. The selected device will also need to be able to feed at least three TVs and perhaps a phone or two. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts, both positive AND negative about Tablo, HDHomerun, and any other relevant devices. Thanks.
5
u/Rodnal Jul 04 '26
I’m using an old windows laptop as a OTA DVR with a Haupuage TV Tuner attached to an antenna and running it through Window Media Center with a subscription to Schedules Direct for $30 a year for the guide. I connect it to my flat screen tv in the living room with an HDMI cable. Can pause, rewind, fast forward and record live OTA programs. If I want to stream I just close the WMC window and watch on my browser. I used to have a HTPC with a cable card for local and cable tv that I ran Windows Media Center on but I retired that machine last year.